Stringed musical instrument



June 11, 1929. J. L. WARNER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l JanwsL. Wal'l'lfir' June 11, 1929.

J. L. WARNER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet E mW b QW Janws L. Wll'ilfif' awe/WM attoma 01. o

Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES LUCK WARNER, F TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed January 7, 1928.

This invention relates to a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar, wherein the sounds are produced by picking the strings. The device is more especially an improvement upon the structure disclosed in Patent 1,643,530 issued to me on September 27, 1927, there being certain added features of construction whereby a tremulo effect can be obtained readily while the strings are being sounded.

A further object is to rearrange the position of the neck of the instrument relative to the body so that all of the frets can be easily fingered without interference from the saddie of the neck, it being possible to hold the thumb under the hand in a natural position at all positions on the neck.

' Another object is to provide an instrument in which none of the frets are supported over the sounding board.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.'

In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a guitar having the present improvements combined therewith.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the sounding board and the parts mounted thereon.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective of one of the levers forming a part of the tremulo mechanism.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of another lever forming a part of said mechanism.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of treniulo mechanism.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of another modified tremulo mechanism.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the body of the instrument which, in the present instance, is reversed so that the neck 2 is extended from Serial No. 245,205.

the large end thereof which is ordinarily the base. Thus it is possible to arrange all of the frets 3 on this neck at points beyond the body so that it is not necessary to distort the hands in fingering the frets usually found on the saddle of a guitar or any other plectrum instrument. Instead the hand can be held in a natural position at all points and at the same time the full scale length and all frets are retained.

The bridge 4: is located at the usual point on the sounding board 5 and, in the present instance, includes a transversely extended retaining strip 6 having an overhanging lip 7 under which is located a rounded rib 8 extending from a tiltable strip 9. An upwardly extending transverse rib 10 is provided on this strip 9 and constitutes the bridge per se for contact with the strings 11. These strings are secured at one end to the strip 9 as shown at 12. A lever 13 is fastened securely at one end to the middle portion of the strip 9 and has diverging side braces 14 likewise secured to the strip 9. A pivot pin 15 is extended transversely through and extends laterally beyond lever 13 and engages ears 16 depending froin the side edges of an intermediate lever 17 having a short arm and a long arm. The short arm of the intermediate lever has a roller 18 supported under a yoke 19 which is secured on the sounding board 5 and provides a thrust bearing for the roller 18 when the long arm of lever 17 is pushed toward the sounding board.

Brackets 20 are fixedly mounted on the sounding board beyond one side of the le vers 13 and 1.7 and constitute bearings for a shaft 21. From this shaft is extended a finger 22 connected by a link 23 to the long arm of lever 17. Another finger 24; is extended from shaft 21 and is connected by a link 25 to a strip 26 having a stem 27 projecting downwardly therefrom and rotatably mounted in an upstanding sleeve 28 secured within and extending above the body of the instrument. On this strip 26 is mounted a wrist plate 29. One end of the strip 26 is forked as shown at 30 and projects beyond the wrist plate, there being a tongue 31 pivotally mounted at 32 within the fork and yieldingly supported by a spring 33. Tongue 31 carries a hand plate 84 and extending through this plate is a pick 35 the lower end of which is located above the strings 11 while the upper end is positioned where it can be held between the fingers of the user.

In practice the strings 11 are properly tuned and the tension thereof will be sufficient to thrust the free end of lever 13 upwardly against a pad 36 of felt or the like carried by the short arm of lever 17. Thus the roller 18 will be thrust against the yoke 19 and the longarm of lever 17 will exert an upward pull upon the finger 22 so that finger 24 will thrust upwardly through the links 25 against the strip 26. The wrist of the player rests on the plate 29 while the hand rests on plate 34: and by swinging the hand back and forth the strip 26 and tongue 31 with the parts carried thereby will move pick 35 so that by depressing the'hand plate this pick will be brought against the strings 11. hen a tremulo eflect is desired the wrist on plate 29 is vibrated so as to cause the strip 26 to flex at the point where it is connected to stem 2-7. Thus finger Z-l will be pressed downwardly and will cause finger 22 to pull on the long arm of lever 17 with the result that lever 13 will be thrust downwardly and cause the strip 9 to rock. This will pull on all of the strings 11 simultaneously and as the vibration of the parts will result in rapid increase and reduction of tension of the springs, a treinulo effect will be produced.

It is to be understood that'other means than those disclosed may be employed for increasing and reducing the tension of the strings. For example, and as shown in Figure 6, a lever 36 can be fulcrumed at one end in the bridge 37 and can be provided, at an intermediate point, with a cross member 38 hearing downwardly on the strings 39 at a point between the bric ge 37 and the points of attachment indicated at 40. Thus when lever 36 is pushed downwardly and released the member 38 will move clownwardly on and move upwardly from the strings, thereby varying the tension thereof and producing a tremulo. Another means for producing a tremulo has been illustated in Figure 7 wherein the strings -11 are attached to a rib 42 extending downwardly from one end of a lever 43. This lever is fulcrumed at -14 directly above the rib and by depressing the free end of the lever the rib will be caused to oscillate and thus decrease and reduce the tension of the strings and set up a tremulo.

lvileans other than those described can be employed for actuating the pick. For example a bow such as used in playing a violin can be suitably connected to the pick and said pick thus caused to move back and forth over the strings. vice is used, however, it is of course possible to produce a treniulo. It has not been deemed necessarv to show or specifically describe this modification.

What is claimed is:

1. A stringed musical instrument includinc a body, a neck, strings extending longitudinally of the neck, a lever mounted for movement on the body, means carried thereby for increasing and reducing the tension of the strings when the lever is actuated, a wrist plate supported above thebody, a hand plate yieldingly mounted and movable with the wrist plate, a pick carried by the hand plate, and means operated by movement of the wrist plate for actuating the lever.

2. A stringed musical instrument including a body, a lever movably mounted thereon, strings, means actuated by movement of the lever for varying the tension of the strings thereby to produce a tremulo, a wrist plate movably mounted on the body, a yieldingly supported hand plate movable with the wrist plate, a pick carried by the hand plate, and vibration amplifying means connected to the wrist plate and the lever for transmitting motion therebetwcen.

3. A stringed musical instrument including a body, a lever movably mounted thereon, strings, means actuated by movement of the lever for varying the tension of the strings thereby to produce a tremulo, a wrist plate movably mounted on the body, a yieldingly supported hand plate movable with the wrist plate, a pick carried by the hand plate, and vibration amplifying means for transmitting motion from the wrist plate to the lever, said meansincluding an intermediate lever fulcrumed on the first named lever, a thrust bearing for one end thereof,

a rock sha ft, fingers movable with the shaft, and connections between the fingers and the wrist plate and intermediate lever respec tively.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 'as my own, I have hereto affixed my sig-,

nature.

J AMES LUCK WARNER.

Vhere such a de- 

